The elephant underground: Belowground plant traits and their increasing importance in ecological studies

Abstract

Plants are an integral part of the Earth’s Critical Zone, linking the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere (Field et al. 2015). To improve our insights into ecological theory and ecosystem processes, we need a more holistic view of plants that incorporates the “unseen elephant” of belowground plant organs and their traits (Fig. 1). Roots and belowground stems (e.g., rhizomes and tubers) acquire and store nutrients and support belowground buds that enable plants to regenerate following dormant seasons or disturbance (Klimešová and Klimeš 2007). Although belowground plant traits have been increasingly studied and included in databases (e.g., FRED, CLO-PLA, TRY), the understanding of belowground plant traits and the functions that they represent still lag behind aboveground traits and functions (Iversen et al. 2017, Kattge et al. 2020, Ottaviani et al. 2020). At the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting held in Baltimore, Maryland, USA on 13 August 2025, we held a symposium titled “Belowground Plant Traits and Their Key Functions: An Overview of Roots, Clonal Growth Organs, and Bud Banks and Their Role in Resource Acquisition, Resource Storage and Vegetative Regeneration.” Our goals were to (1) provide an overview of the current belowground plant trait research, and (2) bring together scientists studying roots, belowground morphological organ types, and bud banks to identify how to better integrate these fields. We first provide overviews of each presentation, and then discuss how areas of research are progressing and may be integrated in the future.

Citation

Ott, Jacqueline P.; Klimešová, Jitka; McCormack, Luke; Tumber-Dávila, S. Joseph. 2026. The elephant underground: Belowground plant traits and their increasing importance in ecological studies. The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.70085